Daughter of No One
by imnotgoodwithusernames1234
Summary: Keira is a normal demigod living in the Hermes cabin. She isn't a child of Hermes however, despite being here over a year. Who is her father and why is he taking so long to claim her? Companion to Denounced, but can be read separately.
1. Chapter 1

Daughter of No One

"Everybody up!"

All of the Hermes kids jumped up, ready to go. I slowly sat up, exhausted.

Everyone here was a liar. "You'll be claimed in a day," They told me. "Be in your own cabin in no time," They said.

Maybe they just don't know the difference between a year and a day. I came to camp when I was eight, going back to my mom's for the school year. I'm nine now, still unclaimed.

"Get up, Keira." My friend Amy sat on my bunk.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes. Come on. We have archery today!"

"I hate archery."

She dragged me to my feet.

"Let's go!"

"I don't want to."

"Oh, stop being such a downer, Keira. You'll get claimed soon."

"What if I don't?"

"You have to. The gods promised to claim everyone before they turned thirteen."

"Yeah. Right."

"Food!"

I sighed. This was going to be a very long day.

"Keira, finish up!" Amy was jumping up and down.

"I'm not hungry anyway." I cleared my plate.

The Hermes cabin had archery first, and boy was I unhappy.

"No! No!" The Apollo kid teaching the class pulled the bow out of my hands. "Not like that."

I took the bow back and grabbed an arrow.

I pulled back and let it go.

"Really?" The boy asked. "You just broke the arrow."

It had gone two feet before hitting the ground and snapping the tip off.

"Sorry."

"Just… don't kill anyone." He stormed off, leaving me alone with the bow.

Amy looked at me with sympathy. "It's okay."

"Whatever."

The kid got up in front of the targets. "Okay, most of you just need to aim higher up. Once I move try that."

I pulled out an arrow and pulled back the bowstring.

I let go too early.

"Ow!"

It turns out, I was lucky. I hadn't hit him with the sharp end of the arrow.

"Keira, you really need to be more careful." Chiron said.

"I know."

"Are you alright?"

"I don't know."

"It's alright if you can't shoot a bow. Not every hero could. For example…"

"I don't want another lecture about the great Percy Jackson!"

He seemed stunned.

"I'm sorry."

He smiled softly. "Go back to your activities. Damion will be fine."

"I'm sorry, Chiron."

I walked out the door. The Hermes cabin should be at sword practice by now.

"Keira!" Amy smiled at me as I walked in. "Come practice with me."

I picked up a sword. "What are we doing?"

"Just sparring."

Our swords clanged against each other.

"I'm so going to beat you, Amy."

"Are not."

"Already have."

"What?"

I kicked at her legs, knocking her over and put my sword to her throat.

"I win."

"You tripped me!"

"Still win."

"Best two out of three?"

"You're on!"

That night I sat on my bed.

"Lights out!" The Hermes counselor Evan yelled.

I laid down, but I didn't fall asleep.

Sleep meant dreams.

Eventually, hours after the last Hermes kid had pranked their siblings and fallen asleep, my eyes fluttered shut.


	2. Chapter 2

"Everybody up!"

Another day, another week, another year. I used to enjoy continuity, but now it's the bane of my life.

"Get up, Keira." Amy sat down on my bed.

Back when continuity meant spending day after day with my mom, with my mortal friends, it was a good thing.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes. Come on. We…"

"I'll pass."

"But we have…"

"Don't care."

"Oh, come on Keira! You're only ten, you'll get claimed soon."

"You said that last year."

"Breakfast!" The Hermes counselor Evan yelled.

"Go without me," I told Amy.

"Fine." She threw her arms up in defeat.

As soon as everyone was out of the cabin, I jumped out of bed and pulled out my notebook.

_Dear Mom_,

I started to write.

You see, my mom had always told me that writing out my problems helped. I liked to write letters. Letters made sense.

_I'm very bored here at camp. If it was safe, would you still make me come every summer? You probably wouldn't, right? _

I never actually sent the letters, I never needed to.

_I wish you knew who my father was. It's seems all my problems center around him. Maybe I am just a daughter of Hermes. No, I don't think so. Ares, maybe? Hephaestus? Whatever. It's not like I'll ever know. I'll be home soon. Only three more days until the end of summer._

_-Your daughter, Keira_

I stowed the notebook under my bed.

Three days later, I walked over the hill to my mom's car.

"Hey honey!" Mom smiled as I got in.

"Hey mom."

"How was camp?"

"Whatever. Just… camp."

"Is this about your dad again, sweetie?"

"Who is he?"

She didn't know the answer. She _never_ had.

"I don't know, hun."

I sighed. "I know… I know you don't. I just…" I took a breath. "Let's go home."

Home for me was a small house in Connecticut.

Home for me was my mom cooking dinner.

Home for me wasn't a stupid demigod camp.

I went through my getting home rounds. I went up to my room and looked for my letter box.

I kept all my unsent letters in it. I put all my letters from the summer in it. I looked at some of the old ones.

_Dear Mom,_

The first one I took out read.

_It's kind of funny, seeing where I am now considering just yesterday I was a normal girl with a normal life. I'm a demigod, a child of a Greek god. _

I couldn't bring myself to finish reading it. I had written this the day I got to camp.

I shoved it back into the box.

"Honey! Dinner!" Mom called.

"Coming!" I called back.

I didn't need to finish reading it. I remembered that letter.

_This is the coolest thing ever! I just can't wait to be claimed. Do you know who my dad is?_

_-Your daughter, Keira_


	3. Chapter 3

"Peas?" Mom asked.

"Not that hungry."

She looked at me with sympathy. "Honey, you can't spend all your time wondering about your dad."

"I know!"

I didn't try to yell, but I was annoyed.

"I'm sorry," I instantly apologized. "I shouldn't have yelled."

"You've grown up so much." Mom smiled. "Do you want to see my new piece?"

"Yes!" I smiled.

My mom was the greatest artist ever.

"Come here."

We walked out back into the yard.

I gasped.

She had painted the back of the house.

"It's a sunset."

"Look closer."

It was the average sunset over the water picture, but with Hippocampi and Pegasi.

"That's amazing."

She laughed. "Are you going to go see Kayla tomorrow?"

Kayla was my best friend and next door neighbor. It annoyed me to not be able to tell her everything like I used to.

Also, no one except adults could call her Kayla without their heads getting ripped off. And that's only a slight exaggeration. Everyone who wanted to live called her Kay.

"Yeah, but for now I'm going to go to bed."

"Night, Sweetheart."

I went up to my bedroom and went over to my letter box. I wanted to find a particular one.

I pulled it out.

_Dear Daddy,_

_I was wondering when you're gonna come home. I want to meet you. Mommy says you aren't coming back, but I think she's wrong. You are coming back, aren't you? I want you to come back soon. Pretty please with sprinkles on top come back soon._

_-Love Keira_

I had written that one when I was six. I remembered the day clearly.

"Mommy," I had asked, "when's Daddy coming home?"

Her face had dropped. "I don't think he is sweetie."

"Why not?"

"Here's an idea," She had said. "Why don't you try writing to him?"

"How would I send it to him?"

"You don't have to," She was smiling again. "Sometimes writing out your problems helps. Letters make sense even when the world doesn't."

"Okay!"

That was the first letter I had ever written. I was such an optimistic little kid.

I grabbed a walkie-talkie off my bedside.

"Kay, can you hear me?"

After a moment's pause, Kay replied, "Loud and clear, Keira. Good to have you back."

"It's good to be back, Kay. I hate that camp."

"Then why d'you go?"

"I have to."

"You mom makes you?"

"No. I just have to."

We had had this conversation a million times.

"Devin's coming over tomorrow, are you coming?"

"Sure."

Devin was a good friend I had made in the second grade. She and her twin brother Casey have been in my class every year since.

"Awesome. My mom made cookies."

"Cool. I'll talk to you in the morning, I'm exhausted."


	4. Chapter 4

_Dear Universe,_

_Thanks for not being so bad today._

It was becoming a habit of mine to write to no one. To the universe or the sun or to myself.

_I'm heading over to Kay's in five minutes. Mom said I have to 'clean my room first.' That means push everything under the bed for three days until she notices._

"Keira, is your room clean?" My mom called.

"Almost!"

_Got to go._

_-Your friend, Keira_

I ran down the staircase.

"Bye mom!"

I dashed out the door and ran next door. Before I could even knock it swung open.

"Hey Kay."

"Sup, Keira?"

"Not much." We went into her house.

We ran into her bedroom.

I should say something about Kay. She loves to read.

By that, I mean she has at least a hundred books on her shelf. And then there are the piles on her floor. And the library books.

And they aren't organized either, she just knows where they are.

I flopped onto her bed, and ended up lying down on a book. I put it on the floor.

"So…" I said.

"Devin should be here soon." She said.

Like magic, the doorbell chose that second to ring.

"I've got it!" Kay yelled to her mom and we ran down the hallway.

She threw the door open. "Sup Devin?"

"Hey Kay. Hi Keira."

"Hey." I said.

Devin was pretty. Like insanely pretty.

"So, how was camp, Keira?"

"Fine," I rolled my eyes.

"I'm sure." Devin joked.

We smiled and laughed, but I felt a barrier between us. I doubt Kay or Devin noticed, but it hadn't been the same since I found out.

That night, I found myself writing again.

_Dear Kay,_

_I'm sorry about not being the greatest best friend and I'm sorry that I'm always so focused on other stuff._

_I wish there was no barrier between us. I doubt you've noticed it yet, but I've never felt more alone._

_-Your friend, Keira_

I crumpled it up and stuck into the letter box, flopping on my bed.


End file.
